At the end of this contentious election cycle, tell us how you’re feeling about the act of voting. Does it make you feel like you’re contributing? Are you feeling apathetic, optimistic? Tag your photos #whyivoted to share your stories with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Voting after work? Take a look at our voter guide for last-minute decisions and to find your polling place. Follow http://elections.kqed.org/ for real-time results this evening. 

Voters From Around the Bay Area Weigh In

“It was a hard choice,” says Contra Costa County voter Valerie S. She and her 7-year-old son, Owen, wear their “I voted” stickers after the polls open at 7 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2016. (Brittany Hosea-Small/KQED)

Leslie James Mobley, originally from Oklahoma, cast his ballot at a polling station in the Mission District. “I thought it was important (to vote). It was getting weird and I wanted to get involved.” (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)

Rena Montero cast her ballot in the Mission District of San Francisco. Why she’s voting: “So much is going on in the community, with an enormous amount of propositions. I wanted to make sure I get my voice chimed in on that, and of course the presidential election amounts to a paradigm shift if certain events happen. I want to make sure I have no regrets.” (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)

Sean Gursky, originally from Waterford, Michigan, cast his ballot at a polling center in the Mission District. Why he voted: “I think it’s too important to sit on the sidelines and hope that things go well. The presidential election was my main focus today.” (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)

Paru Weber, originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, cast her vote at a polling center on Folsom Street in the Mission District. “I am a U.S. citizen and I feel like it’s a privilege to vote. Also, I bought a house recently and that got me involved in local election issues.” (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)

Veronica M., a UC Berkeley graduate student from Peru, poses in front of Berkeley’s Sproul Hall.

“I’m from a Third World country and this has never happened to me before in my life.” Veronica is angered by the harassment and intimidation that some undocumented students experience. “I don’t have the means to vote,” says Veronica “but I can express my opinion.” (Brittany Hosea-Small/KQED)

Nicole Huddleston, a junior at UC Berkeley, voted for the first time this year. “I felt very strongly about this election because of the two main candidates,” says Huddleston. “I’m Mexican and born in Mexico, so Trump is a candidate who never made me comfortable.” (Brittany Hosea-Small/KQED)

Avanti Mankar, originally from Orange County, cast her ballot at a polling location in the Mission District. Why she voted: “It was a big deal, this election. The issues were really polarizing, the divisions of the country, and there are a lot of issues that are really important to me, such as women’s rights, gay rights and immigrant rights. I also was motivated to vote because of the propositions around the death penalty and marijuana.” (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)